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Sally Kristen Ride
Ride in 1984
Born
Sally Kristen Ride

(1951-05-26)May 26, 1951
DiedJuly 23, 2012(2012-07-23) (aged 61)
Cause of deathPancreatic cancer
NationalityAmerican
Education
  • BS Physics / BA English – Stanford University
  • MS Physics – Stanford University
  • Ph.D. Physics – Stanford University
OccupationPhysicist
Spouse(s)Steven Hawley
(m. 1982–1987; divorced)
Partner(s)Tam O'Shaughnessy
(1985–2012; Ride's death)
Parents
  • Dale Burdell Ride
  • Carol Joyce (née Anderson)
RelativesKaren "Bear" Ride (sister)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
14d 07h 46m
Selection1978 NASA Group
MissionsSTS-7, STS-41-G
Mission insignia
RetirementAugust 15, 1987

Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American physicist and astronaut. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978 and became the first American woman in space in 1983. She remains the youngest American astronaut to have traveled to space, having done so at the age of 32.[1][2] After flying twice on the Orbiter Challenger, she left NASA in 1987. She worked for two years at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Arms Control, then at the University of California, San Diego as a professor of physics, primarily researching nonlinear optics and Thomson scattering. She served on the committees that investigated the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, the only person to participate on both.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Kennedy Space Center FAQ". NASA/Kennedy Space Center External Relations and Business Development Directorate. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  2. ^ "10 fascinating things about Astronaut Sally Ride you must know". news.biharprabha.com. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  3. ^ Grady, Denise (July 23, 2012). "Obituary: American Woman Who Shattered Space Ceiling". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  4. ^ See Rogers Commission Report and Columbia Accident Investigation Board